Chinese incursions: Army Chief briefs PM, flag meetings inconclusive

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Last Updated: Wed, May 01, 2013 12:30 hrs

New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh on Wednesday briefed the Prime Minister over the Chinese incursions along the border with Ladakh even as the third flag meeting between the two countries remained inconclusive, reports said.

According to reports, General Bikram Singh also briefed the Cabinet Committee on Security on the issue.

Meanwhile, India has said there is no need to panic on the Chinese incursions along the border with Ladakh despite a standoff along the border and inconclusive talks and flag meetings.

Hoping that the crisis would be resolved and informing that his plans to visit China is not called off, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid in an interview to CNN IBN channel said: "There is a difference of opinion and perception, but there is no confrontation."

"We can express concern, but we need not press the panic button," he said.

"How many troops, how far in is not necessarily a full answer. If you have 10 troops 19 kms inside cut off from rest of their supply lines, that's not a good situation for them. We do believe there is an issue that needs to be resolved. We are confident we'll achieve that objective," Khurshid told the channel.

Khurshid said he will go ahead with his visit to China next week.

"At present there is no reason for us to reconsider, at present we are preparing for the important visit. I will have the opportunity to meet the new leadership that has taken charge in China who are very, very keen to continue the wholesome relation. So we are looking at the positives," said Khurshid in the interview.

The border standoff in the Depsang Valley had remained unresolved following the collapse of the second flag meeting last week after China asked the Indian Army to destroy some of its positions in eastern Ladakh as a precondition for pulling back.

The Chinese foreign ministry however continued deny any incursion into Indian territory while India asked Beijing to maintain the status quo that existed before the April 15 intrusion.

Chinese troops have set up a post inside Indian territory, about 10 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between India and China.

India and China bicker over territorial boundaries, especially over Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Ladakh under Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1962 China and India fought a brief war over Aksai Chin (Ladakh region) and Arunachal Pradesh, but in 1993 and 1996 the two countries signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control.

The 4057 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the effective border between India and People's Republic of China (PRC).